Eidolon
by oneplusme
Summary: A story about the founding of the Moon Kingdom


Bishoujou Senshi Sailor Moon : Eidolon  
--------------------------------------  
  
  
The woods were dangerous at night. That was what they all said, wasn't  
it? The demons, the creatures of the darkness gathered all around,  
waiting just beyond the circle of firelight to devour the foolish.  
But still she ran, mindless of the branches that tore at her clothes  
and slashed her skin.  
  
The knife at her side was cold, slapping heavily against her thigh.  
Better the demons of the forest than the firelight.  
  
A wayward root sent her sprawling painfully into the wet debris of the  
forest floor, splattering mud over the remnants of her dress, but still  
she ran on, her lungs burning, forcing strength into her bruised legs.  
  
From ahead came the sound of water and the brightness of the moonlight.  
Safety. They wouldn't find her here. For a time, at least.  
  
Long enough.  
  
At last she staggered to a halt atop the slick rocks of the bank, the  
rushing stream slowly drowning her gasping breaths. After the darkness  
of the woods the light was almost painfully bright, casting the deep  
waters blue, black and silver. With numb fingers she quickly tore away  
the remnants of her clothes, cutting them away with the knife when they  
tangled.  
  
She gasped aloud in shock as she slipped into the current, the icy water  
almost burning her skin. It pressed cold around her, higher and higher,  
between her legs, above her waist, washing away sensation... pain... and  
the memory of--  
  
In desperation she plunged her free hand beneath the surface, scrubbing,  
clawing painfully at her shivering flesh, cold tears running down her  
face.  
  
It didn't help.  
  
Sobbing in frustration, she grasped the hilt of the knife in her hands,  
water dripping slowly from the tip of the pommel. The silver blade  
seemed almost hungry as she dipped it into the stream, drinking in the  
tiny droplets that clung to its surface.  
  
There was almost no feeling as the tip pressed though her skin, the numb  
flesh of her wrist parting smoothly at its touch. A tiny rivulet of  
blood traced its way down her arm, purest black in the moonlight. Her  
whole body seemed to shiver with some nameless feeling, part cold,  
part... release, perhaps.  
  
Her body seemed not to have even the will to jump as warm, slender  
fingers closed around her own, slipping the knife from her grasp.  
  
"This is not the only way, child." A soft voice whispered in her ear,  
gentle breaths close against her skin.  
  
She felt herself spun slowly around, more by the water itself than the  
hands upon her skin. The woman who faced her was tall, naked and  
beautiful in a way that made her body tremble. Long black hair flowed  
down around her shoulders, spreading out across the surface of the  
water, seeming almost to writhe against the current.  
  
The knife blade wavered, shimmering between them.  
"Who-- who are you? A demon?"  
  
"No... Not as you think, at least." The woman smiled slightly.  
"So, what is your name, child?"  
  
"S... Selene" she replied, shivering violently, the strength seeming to  
ebb from her body.  
  
The woman reached out a hand to trace the curve of her cheekbone.  
"So, Selene, why did you come here?"  
  
"I... my parents... they wanted me to... to marry--" She choked back a  
sob, her voice cracking. "But he... he grabbed me and... and..."  
  
Selene began to cry desperately, pulling herself tightly against the  
other woman, shuddering uncontrollably. The knife slipped from between  
them, vanishing silently beneath the water.  
  
The woman held her close for a time, letting her tears subside a little,  
squeezing her skin softly beneath her fingertips.  
  
Still shaking, Selene stared up at her, panic in her eyes. "Please...  
don't let them find me! Don't let... him..."  
  
Gentle fingers traced their way slowly through Selene's long, tangled  
hair.  
  
"There is a place for you, Selene, far, far away from here. But the  
way is not easy... and you can never return. You will never see those  
you love again."  
  
Selene met the woman's gaze, her expression firm, a spark of hope  
glittering in her eyes.  
  
"Take me."  
  
The woman sighed sadly. "Very well, child." She leaned down slowly,  
drawing the startled girl into a kiss that seemed to fill her whole body  
with delicious warmth. Fingertips traced lightly across her breast, the  
nails pressing sharply, suddenly into her skin.  
  
"I'm sorry, child" she whispered.  
  
Pain burst through her body, overwhelming her utterly. Selene tried  
desperately to scream, but she had no breath, no words, only pain and  
pain and still pain forever as beautiful fingers broke though skin and  
flesh and bone, tearing...  
  
  
The woman withdrew her hand slowly, hot blood steaming in the chill air  
as the girl's eyes rolled glassily back. She squeezed her hand tightly  
around the still-writhing heart, blood and light seeming to drip from  
within, tracing the sign of a crescent upon the girl's forehead.  
  
  
Selene woke with a start, her hands clutching instinctively at her  
chest. Strong hands supported her, lifting her head slowly from the  
hard floor. The woman looked down at her, smiling.  
  
"Where--" she gasped. "Where am I?"  
"Your new home, child. You will be safe here, always."  
  
Selene pushed herself upright, staring around in wonder. All about them  
lay the vast, marbled ruins of some magnificent city; fractured columns  
and shattered arches towered above her, leading up towards the vast  
depths of the night sky.  
  
"What is this place?" she asked, slightly overawed.  
"The kingdom of the Moon. Your kingdom. With your guidance it may once  
more be what it was before."  
"Me?" Selene gasped, incredulously. "How can I rule this place?"  
"You are its Queen. That is enough."  
  
She stared down at herself, shocked at the beautiful white gown that  
seemed almost to flow around her body. At the very centre of her chest  
lay a small, golden brooch, encircling a crystal that glowed softly in  
the twilight. It felt somehow warm beneath her fingers.  
  
"But how did I get here? How... this?" Selene waved her arm  
expansively at the ruins.  
"That does not matter."  
  
The woman looked up, suddenly. Selene followed her gaze to find the sun  
creeping just above the distant horizon. Through the glare of the  
light, she fancied she could make out the translucent shapes of the dead  
city. She gasped at the sheer beauty of it.  
  
The woman turned to her, grasping Selene's face in her hand. "There is  
one last thing I must tell you before I leave. You must never, never  
allow any of your subjects to consort with those of Earth. Do you  
understand?" Her grip tightened. "Otherwise all this will be dust once  
again. You cannot... must not let that come to pass."  
  
She let go suddenly, turning away towards the dawn.  
  
"Farewell, Selene. May you rule wisely."  
  
Selene leapt to her feet, dashing after her. "Please! Don't go!"  
  
"I have no choice, child. No choice at all" she replied.  
  
Selene grabbed at the other woman's dress, leaning up desperately to  
kiss her cheek. Her lips met nothing but the dawn light and the memory  
of a ghost.  
  
"Please..." she begged. "At least tell me your name!"  
  
The reply was barely more than the whisper of the dawn breeze.  
"Neherenia."  
  
And as the sun rose across the spires of her beautiful palace, the Queen  
of the Moon fell to her knees and wept.  
  
  
  
FIN 


End file.
